Sawhorse brackets



A. M. LADUE May 29, 1962 SAWHORSE BRACKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 18, 1960 May 29, 1962 A. M. LADUE 3,036,657

SAWHORSE BRACKETS Filed Oct. 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofilice 3,936,657 Patented May 29, 1962 3,036,657 SAWHORSE BRACKETS Arthur M. Ladue, 2 Garfield St., Bristol, Vt. Filed Oct. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 63,378 4 Claims. (Cl. 182-224) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sawhorses, and in particular the invention concerns itself with the provision of an improved bracket structure for separably attaching legs to the beam or cross member of a sawhorse.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a bracket structure of this type whereby a pair of individual legs may be quickly and easily attached to the beam and removed or separated therefrom with equal expediency, so that the sawhorse may be readily erected for use and taken apart for convenient portability or compact storage when use thereof is not required.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, convenient and easy operation, in its sturdiness and durability, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sawhorse embodying the bracket structure of the invention, the leg brace in this instance being connected directly to the legs;

FIGURE 2 is a group perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the bracket structure which, as a modified arrangement, also embodies the leg brace;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the attachment of one leg to the beam by the use of the bracket structure;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the bracket structure and legs with the beam shown in vertical section and also illustrating another modified embodiment of the leg brace;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary underside plan view of the subject shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken in the direction of the arrow 6 in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail showing another modified arrangement of the leg brace.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, particularly to FIGURES 1-3 inclusive, the sawhorse designated generally by the numeral 10 comprises the usual beam or cross member 11 supported at each end by a pair of legs 12 which extend from opposite sides of the beam 11 in downwardly divergent relation, as will be clearly understood.

The bracket structure designated generally by the numeral 13 is intended to serve as means for quickly attaching and detaching the legs 12 to the beam 11 and, as such, the bracket structure comprises a pair of pocket members 14 which are disposed at the opposite sides of the beam 11. Each pocket member has an open bottom 15, an outer sidewall 16, an inner side wall 17 which is connected to the outer side wall by a pair of end walls 18, and an apertured flange 19 provided at the lower edge of the inner side wall 17 whereby the entire pocket member may be rigidly secured to the beam 11 by suitable screws 20, it being noted that when the pocket member is so secured, the flange 19 underlies the beam 11, as is best shown in FIGURE 3.

The bracket structure 13 also includes a pair of channel-shaped plates or members 21, each having a web portion 22 and a pair of apertured flanges 23, the members 21 embracingly fitting upper end portions of the respective legs 12 and being rigidly secured thereto by suitable screws 24 passing through the apertures in the flanges 23. The web portion 22 of each member 21 is provided at its upper end with an integral extension which is angulated to form a substantially U-shaped tongue 25, and when the legs of the sawhorse are to be attached to the beam 11, the free end portions 25a of the tongues 25 are inserted upwardly through the open bottoms 15 into the pocket members 14 so that the outer side walls 16 of the pocket members are received in and embraced by the U-shaped tongues 25, as is best illustrated in FIGURE 3. The legs may, of course, be readily separated from the beam by simply disengaging the tongues 25 from the pocket members 14, and it may be noted that the components of the bracket structure are so dimensioned that they fit together snugly to hold the legs relatively rigid with respect to the beam. However, brace means are provided to further assure rigidity of the legs, and several embodiments of such brace means will now be described.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the brace means are in the form of a strap 26 which is pivoted at one end there of as at 27 to one of the legs 12 and is notched at its other end for separable engagement with a pin or screw 28 carried by the other leg. Thus, by disengaging the notched end of the strap 26 from the element 28, the two legs 12 may be separated from the beam 11 through the facility of the pocket members 14 and tongues 25, as aforesaid.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 2 and 3, the brace means comprise a strap 29 which is pivoted as at 30 to one of the flanges 23 of one of the members 21 and is provided with a notch 31 to separably engage a stud 32 mounted on one of the flanges of the other member 21. In this manner, the brace means are associated directly with the bracket structure, rather than with the legs.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 4-6, the brace means assume the form of an inverted, substantially V-shaped strap 33 which has its intermediate portion pivoted as at 34 to the underside of the beam 11 and has free end portions 35 which are releasably engaged with cylindrical detents 36 secured to the web portions 22 of the plates 21. The strap 33 may be somewhat resilient as to permit its free end portions 35 to be sprung into locking engagement with the detents 36, or it may be swung about the pivot 3'4 as indicated by the dotted lines 33a, in order to disengage its free end portions from the detents.

Finally, in FIGURE 7, the brace 33 is arranged in the same manner as in FIGURES 4-6 but is provided with hooked or angulated end portions 37 to separably engage detents 38 which are struck out from the web portions 22 of the plates or members 21.

It may be added that the flanges 19 of the pocket members 14 may be integrally connected by a spanning material portion underlying the beam 11, although by forming the two pocket members as separate entities, they may be applied to any suitable beam regardless of width.

While in the foregoing there have been described and shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be re sorted .to, such as may lie in the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a sawhorse, the combination of a horizontal beam having a bottom surface and a pair of side edges,

a pair of legs extending downwardly from opposite sides of said beam, and a bracket structure separably attaching said legs to the beam, said bracket structure comprising a pair of elongated rectangular pocket members each having an open bottom and including an outer wall, an inner wall spaced inwardly from said outer wall and an inwardly projecting horizontal flange provided at the lower edge of said inner wall, the inner walls of said pocket members abutting said side edges of the beam with said flanges underlying and being secured to the bottom surface of the beam, a pair of channel-shaped plates secured to upper end portions of the respective legs, said legs being of a rectangular cross-section and having inner faces and side edges embraced by said channel-shaped plates, and substantially U-shaped tongues provided at upper edges of said plates, said tongues being separably engaged with said pocket members with the outer wall of each pocket member being disposed within and embraced by the respective tongue and the lower edge of the outer wall being supportably seated in the big-ht portion of the U-shaped tongue.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with brace means comprising an angulated strap having an intermediate portion secured to the bottom surface of 4 said beam and a pair of divergent end portions, and detent means provided on said channel-shaped plates adjacent the lower edges thereof, said end portions of said strap possessing characteristics of resilient bendability and the free ends thereof being separably engaged with said detent means.

3. The device as defined in claim 2. wherein said detent means comprise cylindrical blocks extending transversely of and secured to said plates and coacting with the plates to provide seats for the free ends of said strap.

4. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said detent means comprise downwardly opening catches struck out from said plates, and upturned hooks provided at the free ends of said strap, said hooks engaging said catches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,269 Sprague Feb. 25, 1896 934,736 Koch Sept. 21, 1909 984,845 Pichler Feb. 21, 1911 1,533,724 I-ames Apr. 14, 1925 1,880,909 Dunlap Oct. 4, 1932 2,961,061 Buckles Nov. 22, 1960 

